Other instruments that inspired you

[M-Dent]

I’m curious, outside of guitar, what instruments/musicians people have found inspiring. Whether it be a piano, organ, sax or xylophone anything catch your ear? Did any specific player/instrument inspire you to learn to play?

For example, Cory Henry on the organ (a younger inspired fan of Stevie Wonder). Not a household name. He is a mix of Gospel, soul, blues and funk - but quite the talent.

youtu.be/7Fvb2jx4LLE

youtu.be/nYAwYzcXvKA

or hacking around in a music store…
youtu.be/Kt8_u_i-anQ

 

[pianistclare]

My story is different
There was a large upright player piano in my house. After two older sisters took lessons and didn’t "take to it, my parents never once mentioned it to me
I, on the other hand, always know that I would play piano.
So when a Sister came to my Catholic school in second grace, I told her I WOULD take lessons, and waited by the driveway fro my dad and literally demanded he give me the money and fill out the form before dinner even.

I’ve been playing ever since.
I do want to learn the violin though, just because it’s so gorgeous.

 

[EricF]

Wanton Marsalis, trumpet. More the classical tha the jazz.

 

[JoyousCatholic]

Although, the piano is my first and forever love, I also play cello and violin.

I am in awe of the harp and of anyone who can play the organ - truly heavenly sounds!!

 

[Crusaderbear]

The UK womens group Bond, so unique they don’t even fit in a category! Their 1812 Overture is about my favorite piece of music ever.

 

[M-Dent]

My story is different

There was a large upright player piano in my house. After two older sisters took lessons and didn’t take to it, my parents never once mentioned it to me I, on the other hand, always know that I would play piano.

So when a Sister came to my Catholic school in second grace, I told her I WOULD take lessons, and waited by the driveway fro my dad and literally demanded he give me the money and fill out the form before dinner even.

I’ve been playing ever since. I do want to learn the violin though, just because it’s so gorgeous.

That is excellent.

(I went to Catholic school all my life) In grade School it was *exclusively * taught by religious Sisters - the School was attached to the convent. After School, my older brother and I (children #13 and #14 of our family) would take piano lessons in the convent. We were lucky to have very enthusiastic teachers. The Sisters insisted we learn to read music. I often deviated from the sheet music and played what I thought was more interesting. I was told I probably would never be the musician - on the contrary, my brother, who followed the sheet music as perfectly as he could was greatly encouraged to keep performing. 40 years later, I still play with passion and he jokingly noted he can’t play a note…or even convince any of his kids to pick up an instrument. (He gave me some band instruments to sell)

I’ve always thought music more of a vocation than a learned habit. (Though I’m still a big believer in the importance of early music education).

 

[pianistclare]

That is excellent.

(I went to Catholic school all my life) In grade School it was *exclusively * taught by religious Sisters - the School was attached to the convent. After School, my older brother and I (children #13 and #14 of our family) would take piano lessons in the convent. We were lucky to have very enthusiastic teachers. The Sisters insisted we learn to read music. I often deviated from the sheet music and played what I thought was more interesting. I was told I probably would never be the musician - on the contrary, my brother, who followed the sheet music as perfectly as he could was greatly encouraged to keep performing. 40 years later, I still play with passion and he jokingly noted he can’t play a note…or even convince any of his kids to pick up an instrument. (He gave me some band instruments to sell)

I’ve always thought music of more of a vocation than a learned habit.

Agreed. Although I’ve been led to pursue other things in the Church, (DRE, RCIA, Etc) but my passion is and always will be Music. So so happy to be a Music Director again, running 5 choirs, and not dealing with the nightmare that is Religious Ed. I loved the kids, and they were wonderful. But the red tape, the documentation, the restrictions on what we can do with them, and the angry parents was just too much. I had to walk away from it.

Making music is such a great blessing. Happy to know you are a musician too! :tiphat:

 

[M-Dent]

Agreed. Although I’ve been led to pursue other things in the Church, (DRE, RCIA, Etc) but my passion is and always will be Music. So so happy to be a Music Director again, running 5 choirs, and not dealing with the nightmare that is Religious Ed. I loved the kids, and they were wonderful. But the red tape, the documentation, the restrictions on what we can do with them, and the angry parents was just too much. I had to walk away from it.

Making music is such a great blessing. Happy to know you are a musician too! :tiphat:

It is a blessing!

I wish I could say I shared my musical ability in the Church but I cannot, yet. The direction I have been lead in the Church has been SVdP. I perform guitar and keyboards in secular music. But I do hope one day, before I die - to become proficient at the organ - where I hope to be able to play hymns.

 

[Gertabelle]

I’m curious, outside of guitar, what instruments/musicians people have found inspiring. Whether it be a piano, organ, sax or xylophone anything catch your ear? Did any specific player/instrument inspire you to learn to play?

Why “outside of guitar”? That seems a bit odd.

I have been inspired by live and recorded music my whole life. The first music I remember being inspired by was orchestral – Christmas music, movie soundtracks (I conducted the title theme from Star Wars with the 45 record (vinyl ) more times than I can recall).

I BEGGED my parents for years to get us a piano, and they finally got us one when I entered seventh grade. I spent hours at the piano everyday, even used our family typewriter to make my own staff paper and write my own music.

As an adult I continue to be inspired by countless YouTube videos.

I have worked on my guitar skills as a result of watching videos of a variety of classical guitarists.

And this summer I’ve been working on classical pieces on the recorder, because of YouTube videos of student competitions in Korea and Japan.

I was at the cathedral for mass last week, and got to hear their magnificent organist. That’s inspiring me to find some solo organ music to start working on.

And my own dear students inspired me to pick up my violin (given to me by a friend who got it from a friend…) and actually try to learn how to play it.

 

[St_Francis]

Even tho it’s not officially consodered a liturgical instrument, I love it when I go to Mass and the violinist is there: the music just gives me a soaring feeling inside.

I have also heard Classical/Spanish–style guitar at Mass and that was very nice also, peaceful.

It seems really hard to get the organ right. I’m sad because due to changes in the music ministry, the organ playing now sounds too Lawrence Welk–ish. Before, it was just right. They played the hymns at the right speed and didn’t add non-Catholic flourishes.

 

[truetofaith]

I was always inspired by great guitarists…Chet Atkins, Tony Mottola, Les Paul etc. but I love a good sax solo.
Stan Getz always inspired me. I can’t play sax…but I play gigs with a midi guitar & play many sax & flute solos with the guitar.
At our Charismatic Mass, I just play acoustic guitar.

 

[DanielStDominic]

There are two sides to a trumpeter’s personality. There is the one that lives only to lay waste to the woodwinds and strings, leaving them lying blue and lifeless along the swath of destruction that is the trumpeter’s fury. And then there’s the dark side.

~Michael Stewart

 

[pianistclare]

Even tho it’s not officially consodered a liturgical instrument, I love it when I go to Mass and the violinist is there: the music just gives me a soaring feeling inside.

I have also heard Classical/Spanish–style guitar at Mass and that was very nice also, peaceful.

It seems really hard to get the organ right. I’m sad because due to changes in the music ministry, the organ playing now sounds too Lawrence Welk–ish. Before, it was just right. They played the hymns at the right speed and didn’t add non-Catholic flourishes.

What is a “non-Catholic flourish?”

 

[M-Dent]

Why “outside of guitar”? That seems a bit odd.

Oh, simply due to the thread on guitar solo’s and I tended to drift a bit on being inspired by the guitar there…so didn’t want to overlap too much.

I have been inspired by live and recorded music my whole life. The first music I remember being inspired by was orchestral – Christmas music, movie soundtracks (I conducted the title theme from Star Wars with the 45 record (vinyl ) more times than I can recall).

I BEGGED my parents for years to get us a piano, and they finally got us one when I entered seventh grade. I spent hours at the piano everyday, even used our family typewriter to make my own staff paper and write my own music.

As an adult I continue to be inspired by countless YouTube videos.

I have worked on my guitar skills as a result of watching videos of a variety of classical guitarists.

And this summer I’ve been working on classical pieces on the recorder, because of YouTube videos of student competitions in Korea and Japan.

I was at the cathedral for mass last week, and got to hear their magnificent organist. That’s inspiring me to find some solo organ music to start working on.

And my own dear students inspired me to pick up my violin (given to me by a friend who got it from a friend…) and actually try to learn how to play it.

 

[pianistclare]

When we go home, I’m going to get Joe to buy me an Irish harp. I’m determined to learn it.

 

[Gertabelle]

When we go home, I’m going to get Joe to buy me an Irish harp. I’m determined to learn it.

A friend of mine took up Irish harp after she retired. Lucky me, she gave me her very first harp when she “graduated” to a larger model.

I found it terribly difficult to play from music. But I could improve like a champ on that thing because the clear (uncolored) strings formed the pentatonic scale.

Then I mangled my left hand in an accident and haven’t played it once in the seven years since then.

With your piano skills, I think you’ll do just fine on the harp, provided you give it the necessary practice time when you first start. Have fun!

 

[Kit15]

What inspired me to learn to PLAY?

Hmmmm…I thought the trombone was the coolest instrument ever when I was a kid after seeing a guy play “Raider’s March” as a demonstration of the instrument on TV. I had never even heard of Indiana Jones at the time. But to keep a long story short, it wasn’t my first instrument, and I couldn’t really try to learn it until I was an adult with a job. I still can’t play Raider’s March as well as that guy did, but someday I will.

My “primary” instrument is flute, and I owe a LOT to it in terms of what has carried over to other instruments. I can’t say I was inspired to play it though. More like intense curiosity as a child to see how it worked since there is no actual mouthpiece to blow air into. It carried me through grade school, high school, and college. I still play it now and then and it’s the one instrument my husband can’t play on a basic level.

My new love is the euphonium. I never come across the instrument until high school and it really made an impression. It gets a lot of really cool parts and counter-melodies to play in band music. It’s unfortunate that it’s not a part of the standard orchestra. I started renting one to see if it would help with learning trombone since I can read the same sheet music, it’s the same size mouthpiece, and I can press things with my fingers instead of working a slide. But it *sounds *awesome! Sometimes if the stars are in alignment on a particular note and it comes out way nicer than it has any right to at my skill level, I’ll just abandon the music, close my eyes, hold the note out, and savor it. I’ve never…really done that with any other instrument. I have to save my pennies to buy one of my own because I can see myself getting pretty good at this (and, yes, my trombone ability has improved too).

I’m taking the euph and joining a newbie friendly community band in a few weeks. I just got my sheet music and some of the pieces I remember doing in high school only I was sitting in the front row instead of the back. I’m just grinning like an idiot thinking “Hello, my old friend. Oh how things have changed.”

 

[M-Dent]

What inspired me to learn to PLAY?

Hmmmm…I thought the trombone was the coolest instrument ever when I was a kid after seeing a guy play “Raider’s March” as a demonstration of the instrument on TV. I had never even heard of Indiana Jones at the time. But to keep a long story short, it wasn’t my first instrument, and I couldn’t really try to learn it until I was an adult with a job. I still can’t play Raider’s March as well as that guy did, but someday I will.

I first learned and began playing music on piano. But I did join a Drum and Bugle Corp in the 1970’s (I played contrabass) . My brother, my nephew (interestingly, who was 2 years older than I) and a few friends all decided we wanted to play music, meet girls and travel with Drum and Bugle. Heh.

It actually was a highly quality musical experience. Some of the Brass sections from the Class A (Div I) bands really inspired me.

My “primary” instrument is flute, and I owe a LOT to it in terms of what has carried over to other instruments. I can’t say I was inspired to play it though. More like intense curiosity as a child to see how it worked since there is no actual mouthpiece to blow air into. It carried me through grade school, high school, and college. I still play it now and then and it’s the one instrument my husband can’t play on a basic level.

My new love is the euphonium. I never come across the instrument until high school and it really made an impression. It gets a lot of really cool parts and counter-melodies to play in band music. It’s unfortunate that it’s not a part of the standard orchestra. I started renting one to see if it would help with learning trombone since I can read the same sheet music, it’s the same size mouthpiece, and I can press things with my fingers instead of working a slide. But it *sounds *awesome! Sometimes if the stars are in alignment on a particular note and it comes out way nicer than it has any right to at my skill level, I’ll just abandon the music, close my eyes, hold the note out, and savor it. I’ve never…really done that with any other instrument. I have to save my pennies to buy one of my own because I can see myself getting pretty good at this (and, yes, my trombone ability has improved too).

I’m taking the euph and joining a newbie friendly community band in a few weeks. I just got my sheet music and some of the pieces I remember doing in high school only I was sitting in the front row instead of the back. I’m just grinning like an idiot thinking “Hello, my old friend. Oh how things have changed.”

 

[Kit15]

I first learned and began playing music on piano. But I did join a Drum and Bugle Corp in the 1970’s (I played contrabass) . My brother, my nephew (interestingly, who was 2 years older than I) and a few friends all decided we wanted to play music, meet girls and travel with Drum and Bugle. Heh.

It actually was a highly quality musical experience. Some of the Brass sections from the Class A (Div I) bands really inspired me.

That I didn’t double on brass in high school marching band is one of my regrets. I couldn’t help feeling a bit expendable as a marching flute.

I’m kinda falling down the low brass rabbit hole. It’s really fun taking on a support role after years and years of playing the parts being supported. Plus the whole big and loud thing is a bit of a rush! After I brought the euph home my husband half jokingly asked if this meant I’d consider going all out and try tuba. Between the two of us no one really plays any bass instruments and he’s always been more of a high brass guy. For as long as I can remember I’ve always said that I don’t think I’d ever want to go that far because I didn’t want to feel like the mouthpiece was eating my face.

Over the weekend curiosity got the best of me and I ordered the cheapest tuba mouthpiece I could find on Amazon to buzz on…aaand it’s not nearly as scary as I thought it would be so who knows? Maybe I will jump off that cliff one day.